India's Strategic Flight Route Closures Amid Rising Tensions

India has taken decisive action amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, closing approximately 25 flight routes previously facilitating aircraft entry into Pakistan through Indian airspace. The move comes in conjunction with a military operation targeting terrorist sites in Pakistan.

In response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, India shut its airspace to Pakistani airlines on April 30. Subsequently, Pakistan retaliated by closing its airspace to Indian carriers. Foreign airlines, wary of the heightened tensions, have also begun avoiding Pakistani airspace.

The closure impacts foreign carriers exiting Indian airspace, forcing them onto longer routes. Airlines pay fees to overfly a country's airspace, and the Airports Authority of India manages air traffic across Indian skies. This strategic closure follows India's Operation Sindoor and missile strikes on terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

(With inputs from agencies.)